Chapter 23 Luca
LUCA
Maxim shows up unannounced on a Saturday morning.
I’m in the garden with the twins. Alexei is explaining his elaborate plan for a train track that will circle the entire estate. Mila is making flower crowns and insisting I wear one. Anna is inside making lunch.
Pavel appears at the garden gate. “Maxim is here. He’s asking to see you.”
I glance at the twins. “Tell him I’m busy.”
“He says it’s important. He’s willing to wait.”
Alexei looks up from his blueprint drawn in the dirt. “Who’s Maxim?”
“My son. Your brother.”
“The mean one?”
Out of the mouths of children. “Yes. The mean one.”
“I don’t like him.”
“That’s fair. He wasn’t very nice last time you saw him.”
Mila stops weaving flowers. “Is he going to yell again?”
“No. If he yells, he leaves. That’s the rule.”
Pavel is still standing at the gate. “Should I tell him to come back another time?”
I consider this. Maxim drove all the way here. Waited for Pavel to announce him instead of barging in. That’s more restraint than he showed at the disastrous dinner weeks ago.
“Tell him to wait in my study. I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”
Pavel nods and leaves.
“Is the mean brother staying for lunch?” Mila asks.
“I don’t know yet.”
“I hope not. Mama made sandwiches, and there might not be enough.”
“There’s always enough sandwiches, baby.”
“But what if he eats all of them? He’s big like you.”
“Then I’ll make sure you and Alexei get yours first.”
That seems to satisfy her. She goes back to her flowers. Alexei returns to his train track planning.
I sit there for another fifteen minutes, letting them play. Making Maxim wait is deliberate. He can learn patience.
When I finally go inside, Anna is in the kitchen cutting sandwiches.
“Maxim is here,” I tell her.
Her hands still on the knife. “Why?”
“I don’t know yet. He’s waiting in my study.”
“Does he want to see the twins?”
“He didn’t say. But if he does, you can decide whether that happens.”
She sets down the knife. “If he’s going to apologize, he should apologize to them, not just you.”
“Agreed.”
“And if he’s here to cause more problems, I want him gone before they see him.”
“Also agreed.”
I head to my study. Maxim is standing by the window, looking out at the grounds. He’s dressed casually. Jeans, dark sweater. No suit. That’s unusual for him.
He turns when I enter. “Thank you for seeing me.”
“You drove all the way here. I’m curious why.”
“I came to apologize.”
I close the door and lean against my desk. “For?”
“For the dinner. For what I said to Anna. For questioning the twins’ legitimacy. For threatening to go to the Kozlovs.” He pauses. “For being an ass.”
“That’s a comprehensive list.”
“I was out of line. On all counts.”
“Yes. You were.”
He moves away from the window. “I’ve been watching you. The past few weeks. Pavel sends me updates on household matters. He mentioned you’ve been spending time with the twins. Teaching Alexei about trains. Reading to them. Playing with Mila in the garden.”
“That bothers you?”
“No. That’s what made me realize I was wrong.”
I wait for him to continue.
“I thought this was temporary,” Maxim says. “I thought you married Anna for the company, and the twins were just collateral. An inconvenience you’d tolerate until you got what you wanted. But that’s not what’s happening.”
“What’s happening?”
“You’re building a family. An actual family. Not a business arrangement. Not a transaction. You care about them.”
“They’re my children. Of course I care about them.”
“You didn’t know they existed three months ago. Most men wouldn’t bond with four-year-olds that fast. But you did. You chose to.”
“Where is this going, Maxim?”
He sits in the chair across from my desk. “I was threatened. I saw you building something new, and I thought it meant I was being replaced. That Mila and Alexei would take my place as your heir. That Anna would convince you to cut me out.”
“And now?”
“Now I see that’s not what’s happening. You have room for all of us. The twins don’t replace me. They’re just…additional family.”
“Additional family. That’s one way to put it.”
“They’re my siblings. Half-siblings, technically, but siblings. And I treated them like threats instead of family. That was wrong.”
I study him. Looking for the angle. The manipulation. But he seems genuine.
“What changed your mind?” I ask.
“Pavel showed me security footage. You reading bedtime stories. Building train tracks. Letting Mila put flowers in your hair. You looked…” He trails off.
“Looked what?”
“Happy. I’ve never seen you look like that. Like you’re enjoying yourself instead of just tolerating a situation.”
“I am enjoying myself. The twins are remarkable.”
“I know. I mean, I don’t know them yet. But I’d like to, if you’ll let me. If Anna will let me.”
“That depends on whether you can behave yourself.”
“I can. I will. I want to be part of this family. Not just your son and heir. I want to be their brother. A real brother who doesn’t make them cry at dinner.”
“That’s a low bar.”
“I know. But I’m starting there and working my way up.”
I push off the desk and walk to the window. Maxim follows. From here, I can see the twins still in the garden. Alexei has enlisted Elena to help with his train track vision. Mila is weaving flowers.
“They asked me if you’re mean,” I say.
Maxim winces. “Fair question.”
“Mila doesn’t want you staying for lunch because she’s worried you’ll eat all the sandwiches.”
“Jesus.”
“You scared them. Children don’t forget that easily.”
“I know. I’ll apologize. To them and to Anna. Properly this time.”
“And if they don’t forgive you?”
“Then I’ll keep trying until they do. However long it takes.”
We stand there watching the twins play. Alexei is running now, arms spread, making train sounds. Mila chases him with flowers.
“There’s something else you should know,” I say.
“What?”
“Anna and I will probably have more children. Eventually.”
Maxim goes very still. “More children.”
“Yes.”
“You’re sure?”
“We discussed it. It makes sense. The twins need siblings closer to their age. And I want a larger family.”
“So there will be more competition for inheritance.”
I turn to look at him. “Is that what you hear when I say I want more children? Competition?”
“No. I just…I’m processing.”
“Process faster. Because here’s the reality—you’re my eldest son and my heir.
That doesn’t change regardless of how many children I have.
But if you can’t accept that I’m building a family that includes people other than you, then you’ll lose your position through your own choices. Not because someone else took it.”
“I understand.”
“Do you? Because three weeks ago, you questioned the twins’ legitimacy at a dinner table. If Anna and I have more children, are you going to do that again?”
“No. I was wrong. I know that now.”
“Knowing isn’t enough. You need to prove it. To me, to Anna, and especially to the twins.”
“How?”
“Start by apologizing to all three of them. And then show up. Be present. Learn their names, their interests, and what makes them happy. Be a brother instead of a rival.”
Maxim nods. “I can do that.”
“Can you? Because it requires actual effort. It means coming to family dinners and playing with four-year-olds and reading bedtime stories occasionally. It means being someone they can trust.”
“I want to be that person.”
“Then prove it.”
I head toward the door. Maxim follows. “Where are we going?” he asks.
“Garden. You’re going to apologize to the twins first. Then Anna. Then you’re staying for lunch, whether Mila thinks there’s enough sandwiches or not.”
“What if they don’t want to see me?”
“Then you’ll try again tomorrow. And the next day. Until they believe you’ve changed.”
We walk through the house toward the garden. Anna appears in the hallway carrying a tray of sandwiches. She stops when she sees Maxim. “What’s he doing here?”
“Apologizing,” I say. “To everyone.”
“I don’t want him near the twins if he’s going to—”
“He won’t.” I look at Maxim. “Will you?”
“No. I’m here to apologize. Properly. To make things right.”
Anna looks between us. “You’re serious.”
“Yes,” Maxim says. “I was wrong. About everything. I’m sorry.”
“You don’t apologize to me. You apologize to them.” She nods toward the garden. “And if you make them cry again, I don’t care who you are. You leave, and you don’t come back.”
“Understood.”
We go outside. The twins are still playing. They don’t notice us immediately.
Then Alexei looks up. Sees Maxim. His entire body goes tense.
“It’s okay,” I tell him. “Maxim has something to say.”
Mila moves closer to Elena. Alexei stands his ground, but his hands clench into fists.
Maxim walks toward them slowly. Stops a few feet away and crouches down so he’s closer to their height.
“Hi,” he says. “I’m Maxim. We met at dinner a few weeks ago.”
Neither twin responds.
“I was mean to you and your mom that night. I said things that weren’t true, and I made you upset. That was wrong. I’m sorry.”
“You were really mean,” Mila says quietly.
“I know. I was angry about things that had nothing to do with you. And I took it out on you and your mom. That wasn’t fair.”
“Are you still angry?” Alexei asks.
“No. Not anymore. I understand things better now.”
“What things?”
“That you’re my siblings. My little brother and sister. And I should have been nicer to you.”
“You’re our brother?” Mila sounds skeptical.
“Half-brother. We have the same dad.” Maxim glances at me. “Which means I should protect you and be nice to you instead of scaring you.”
Alexei considers this. “Do you like trains?”
“I don’t know much about trains. But I’d like to learn.”
“I’m building a train track that goes around the whole estate. Do you want to help?”
Maxim looks surprised. “Yes. I’d like that.”
“Okay. But you have to follow my plan. I’m the engineer.”
“Deal.”
Alexei heads back to his dirt blueprint. Maxim follows, listening carefully as my son explains his vision.
Mila stays where she is. Still wary. “Do you like flowers?” she asks.
“I guess so,” Maxim says. “I don’t know much about them either.”
“I can teach you. If you want.”
“I’d like that.”
She considers him for another moment. Then she picks up a yellow flower and holds it out. “This one is for you.”
Maxim takes it. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. But if you’re mean again, I’m taking it back.”
“That’s fair.”
Anna is standing beside me now. Watching the scene unfold with an expression I can’t read.
“He’s trying,” I say quietly.
“I can see that.”
“Is it enough?”
“For now. We’ll see if it lasts.”
Maxim stays for lunch. Sits between the twins and listens to Alexei’s exhaustive explanation of train engineering. Admires Mila’s flower crown. Apologizes to Anna again with actual sincerity. When he leaves three hours later, the twins wave goodbye.
“Is he still mean?” Mila asks after his car disappears.
“He’s working on not being mean,” I tell her. “That’s a good start.”